Results 1,421-1,440 of 11,114 for speaker:Damien English

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Enterprise Policy (27 Jul 2021)

Damien English: Delivering balanced regional growth is a core objective of this Government and my Department and its agencies have a strong role to play in this agenda through direct assistance to businesses as well as promotion and enhancement of regional locations as places for businesses to invest. Quality of infrastructure and accessibility is an important aspect of the latter and Co. Tipperary is...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (27 Jul 2021)

Damien English: I am acutely aware of the ongoing difficulties that businesses continue to face due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As the Deputy is aware, the Government has put in place a comprehensive package to help businesses and workers during the pandemic, including the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme (EWSS), the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP), the COVID-19 Restrictions Support Scheme (CRSS), Small...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Departmental Funding (27 Jul 2021)

Damien English: My Department has been in discussion with the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage concerning the circumstances surrounding the flooding of a small number of business premises following a weather event in February 2021. A decision will be made shortly, following further consideration of the necessary justification, on instigating a humanitarian flooding relief Scheme for the...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Work Permits (27 Jul 2021)

Damien English: The Employment Permits scheme is vacancy led and driven by the changing needs of the labour market, expanding and contracting in tandem with its inherent fluctuations. The system is managed through the critical skills and ineligible occupations lists, which are subject to twice yearly evidence-based review. The critical skills employment permit is Ireland’s premium employment...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Employment Rights (27 Jul 2021)

Damien English: I am statutorily required to give due consideration on whether it is appropriate to give effect to a recommendation from the Labour Court concerning a proposal for an Employment Regulation Order. In considering whether it was appropriate to accept the Labour Court's recommendation, I wanted to ensure that workers and employers in the sector have adequate notice of the changes to the...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic Supports (27 Jul 2021)

Damien English: The Restart Grant and Restart Grant Plus Schemes provided by my Department were introduced as COVID-19 enterprise measures on foot of Government Decisions and operated by the 31 Local Authorities from May 2020 to October 2020. The table below sets out the number and monetary amount of grants paid out by Local Authority area. Local Authority Number of Applications Paid...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Enterprise Support Services (27 Jul 2021)

Damien English: My Department in conjunction with the Local Enterprise Offices network across the country has continued to develop a range of financial aid and business assistance programmes to help local businesses with the LEOs acting as a ‘first-stop-shop’ for advice and guidance, financial assistance, and other programmes for anyone intending to start or grow a business. In that regard,...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Farm Safety (27 Jul 2021)

Damien English: I wish to assure the Deputy that farm safety in the agriculture sector remains a priority for both my Department and the Health and Safety Authority (HSA). As an identified priority sector by the HSA in its current three-year strategy it continues to receive a sustained focus in the delivery of the HSA’s occupational health and safety policy and its inspection programmes. The HSA has...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Employment Rights (27 Jul 2021)

Damien English: I propose to take Questions Nos. 29, 30, 31 and 34 together. Ireland’s employment rights legislation protects all employees who are legally employed on a contract of service basis. Vaccination status does not reduce the established employment rights that are afforded to employees. Where an individual believes they are being deprived of employment rights applicable to employees...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Employment Rights (27 Jul 2021)

Damien English: I propose to take Questions Nos. 32 and 33 together. The Work Safely Protocol was recently updated to reflect information learned over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. This revised Protocol incorporates current advice on the Public Health measures needed to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in the community and in workplaces and includes information on wearing of masks, ventilation of...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Departmental Funding (27 Jul 2021)

Damien English: The past 12 months have been unprecedented in terms of supports offered to businesses in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, alongside the normal enterprise supports that continued to be provided by my Department. Enterprise Ireland (EI), an Agency of my Department, have paid out a total of €10,009,199to companies in Co. Tipperary over the last 12 months, these figures exclude...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Flexible Work Practices (27 Jul 2021)

Damien English: On 1 April, the Tánaiste launched a public consultation to put the right to request remote working into law. Introducing the right to request remote working will provide a clear framework around which requesting, approving or refusing remote work can be based. The closing date for receipt of submissions was Friday 7 May. The consultation has been reviewed by officials in tandem with...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Vaccination Programme (27 Jul 2021)

Damien English: COVID-19 vaccinations are an extremely important public health measure in the fight against the spread of COVID-19 in the community and in workplaces. I would encourage workers to engage with their employer in the first instance once they are assigned a vaccination appointment to explore all options available to enable them to receive the vaccination should it fall during working time. I...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Health and Safety (27 Jul 2021)

Damien English: The Exchequer allocation for the Health and Safety Authority for 2022 has not yet been determined. The 2021 Exchequer allocation for the Health and Safety Authority is €24.75m which covers pay, pension and non-pay costs. This allocation enables the Health and Safety Authority to deliver on a broad remit of work across a wide mandate which includes occupational health and safety,...

Written Answers — Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment: Covid-19 Pandemic (27 Jul 2021)

Damien English: The Health (Amendment) (No.2) Act 2021 provides for the lawful operation of certain indoor premises subject to conditions including the provision of a robust and enforceable system of verification of the vaccination or COVID-19 recovery status of certain patrons. The Act also provides for “relevant bodies” to designate compliance officers. The Health and Safety Authority (HSA)...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Foreign Policy (15 Jul 2021)

Damien English: I again thank Deputy Ó Murchú for his contribution and I welcome the opportunity to speak again on the issue. I acknowledge the severe impact the Covid-19 pandemic has had on Cuba, not least in leading to a collapse, essentially, of the international tourism industry on which the Cuban economy is hugely dependent. I note the Cuban authorities managed to contain the initial...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Foreign Policy (15 Jul 2021)

Damien English: On behalf of the Minister, Deputy Coveney, I thank Deputy Ó Murchú for raising this issue. As the House will be aware, the United States has maintained a comprehensive economic embargo on Cuba since 1962, which prevents US businesses or businesses with commercial activities in the US from trading with Cuban interests. Ireland's position on this embargo is long-standing and clear....

Seanad: Workplace Relations (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2021: Committee and Remaining Stages (15 Jul 2021)

Damien English: I thank the Senators for their contributions and for tabling amendments, which are proposed in good faith. I accept we had a discussion in this House and in the Dáil earlier in the week on the issue of public versus private proceedings. I understand the concerns about that but we have a duty to respect the Supreme Court decision, and to implement legislation as best we can to reflect...

Seanad: Workplace Relations (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2021: Committee and Remaining Stages (15 Jul 2021)

Damien English: For the purposes of today's discussions, because I am conscious that not everybody was in the room when we discussed during the week, I will set out exactly what is in section 4, as well as the amendments being put forward. Section 4 contains an amendment of section 41 of the Workplace Relations Act 2015, in respect of the provision in section 41(13) of that Act. It currently provides that...

Seanad: Workplace Relations (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2021: Committee and Remaining Stages (15 Jul 2021)

Damien English: I thank Senator Black for moving the amendment on behalf of Senator Higgins. I will not be able to accept it because we have already allowed for what it proposes in legislation. We got into this in detail earlier in the week although I am conscious that not everybody could be here. I also discussed it with colleagues in the Dáil. I gave a strong commitment on the proposed review.The...